There is a lot of cool gear in the golf world that doesn’t always fit into Most Wanted Tests or Buyer’s Guides. You still want to know how it performs. In our We Tried It series, we put gear to the test and let you know if it works as advertised.

What We Tried

Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft

Your Putter Shaft Tester

Dave Wolfe– Lover of putters. Seriously, like all of the putters. It’s a thing.

We Tried It: Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft

The vast majority of golfers know that finding the right shaft is a key element of club fitting. It’s understood that a driver shaft that is too stiff or not stiff enough will not deliver optimum performance. It’s not just flex, either. A shaft that is too heavy or too light will negatively affect your swing as well.

We know this is true for drivers and irons but what if it is also true for putters?

Is it possible your putter shaft is not helping you, maybe even working against you? Could changing your putter shaft be the putting fix you didn’t know you needed?

Nippon believes their new N.S.PRO putter shaft can change your gamer for the better.

Does Your Putter Need a New Shaft?

The story of the Nippon N.S.PRO putter shaft really boils down to one word: weight. Yes, the shaft has a handsome and environmentally friendly matte silver finish but the story of the shaft is still weight. 

Nippon’s approach with the N.S.PRO putter shaft is simple, in some ways mirroring their iron shaft plan. As with their irons, Nippon N.S.PRO putter shafts are available in different weights.

I can’t argue the logic behind the N.S.PRO putter shaft series. During an iron fitting, the Nippon MODUS3 120-gram shafts were a great fit and the MODUS3 105-gram shafts were definitely not.

As with the full-swing clubs, changing the weight in the putter shaft changes the performance of the putter. 

If adding a heavier iron shaft could improve my iron swing, why wouldn’t adding a heavier putter shaft do the same thing?

Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft: Key Features

Three weights (120g/140g/160g) Uncut length of 37” Butt diameter 14.80mm Tip diameters 0.355”/9.0mm and 0.370”/9.4mm Luxury silver matte finish MSRP: $85

Installing the Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft

Currently, you can only get the N.S.PRO putter shaft as an install-only option at authorized Nippon shaft dealers. Look for the shafts to be available at online retailers like Golfworks.com soon.

Since I’ve recently built a patchwork golf shop in my garage, I decided I would install the shaft myself. For the installation, I needed a Dremel hand tool, hacksaw, grip tape and solvent, a vice, epoxy and a tape measure. Tools ready, I took the plunge into the DIY abyss.

For this project, I am installing the N.S.PRO shaft into a Bettinardi Queen B15. Those of you who read about my visit to Bettinardi’s Studio B know this was the putter I was fitted for at their shop. 

The intention was to see how a stock Queen B15 performed compared to one shafted with the N.S.PRO 160g shaft.

Overall, the process was very easy. After neurotically measuring the shaft about 10 times, I marked the butt end and cut it with a Dremel cutting disc. That’s a lie. The Nippon N.S.PRO shaft laughed at my Dremel, showering me with sparks of ridicule. Once Mr. Hacksaw entered the equation, I was (eventually) able to cut the shaft to length.

(Seriously, there is a reason why people who do this all day have power tools.)

From there, I attached the head with the world’s most odiferous epoxy. After 24 hours of curing, I installed the grip and waited a few more hours.

All other features—length, grip, loft, lie—were the same. I did need some help from iFitGolf.com to ensure the loft and lie values matched. That is a machine I don’t have in my garage.

Putters built, it was time to roll some balls.

Testing the Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft

My first impression of the Bettinardi QB15 with the Nippon N.S.PRO 160g putter shaft was that it felt heavy. Yes, my powers of observation are exceptional. Who would have guessed that adding a heavier shaft would make the putter feel heavier?

Clarifying a bit, the shaft made it feel good heavy. Like a broadsword Conan would wield. “Balanced heavy” or perhaps “heavy with purpose” is how I’d describe it. It didn’t just feel heavier.

Some putters that are heavy do not feel good heavy. Do you remember the Heavy Putter brand? All of those putters were heavy and few, if any, felt good heavy. Some golfers loved them but being heavy wasn’t enough to make the putters bestsellers. Putting with most of them was like swinging a halberd one-handed.

Taking the first few swings with the heavy Betti was a “damn, that’s nice” experience. The weight and balance had a richer and thicker feel than the stock-weighted putter. According to the scale, the difference between the two was only 50 grams but the heavy Betti felt way more stable during the swing than the stock version.

When I went to the course to test them, I had shop workers and strangers feel the difference between the two. Doesn’t everyone accost strangers with pairs of putters?

To a person, they were impressed with the feel of the Nippon N.S.PRO shafted putter. I kid you not, one of the guys immediately got on his phone to try and buy one for his Bettinardi. It’s as close to universal acceptance as I’ve ever seen in a golf product.

As such, my expectations were very high when I hit the practice green, fully expecting the heavy Betti to crush the stock Betti. To test the two, I went with a Most Wanted strategy, marking off five-, 10- and 20-foot distances. I then rolled sets of five putts with each putter at each distance.

For the short putts, I was surprised with the results. The difference between the two putters was little to none. There was zero performance difference between the two from  five or 10 feet. The heavier N.S.PRO shaft felt better but the lighter stock shaft put just as many balls in the hole.

At 20 feet, the difference between the two shafts became more significant.

The first batch of balls rolled from 20 feet with the heavy Betti went all over the place. Check the lack of grouping in the photo above. Unlike at five and 10 feet, the heavier putter didn’t feel comfortable and I wasn’t able to control distance. The longest ball and the shortest ball in the photo were the first two rolled of the five.

After the first few putts, I got a better feel for the weight, leading to the grouping in the second photo. What a difference. The grouping tightened up significantly, with one going in the hole. I did hole one with the stock QB 15 as well but the dispersal was not as tight.

This pattern continued as I rolled more sets with both putters. Differences at five and 10 feet continued to be minimal but dispersal/accuracy at 20 feet was better with the heavier Nippon N.S.PRO shaft.

My only concern was that the putts with the heavier shaft consistently missed short. Not by a ton but short is still short. Perhaps going with the 140g version of the N.S.PRO instead of the 160g would put a touch more pop in the putt.

Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft: The Takeaway

Without a doubt, installing the 160g Nippon N.S.PRO shaft changed the feel and performance of the putter, especially with longer putts. Does this mean everyone should rush out and get one of these shafts installed in their putters?

Of course not but I can see it helping golfers who struggle with consistency. The extra weight really smooths out the feel of the stroke. What I didn’t mention is that the N.S.PRO’s heavier weight does not negatively impact the feedback of the putter. You still know where you are hitting the ball on the face.

For what it’s worth, the matte finish looks great and is totally non-reflective even in full sun.

In a perfect world, we could swap putter shafts in and out during a club fitting like we do when we shop for drivers. While that is never likely to happen, it is great to see that our putter shaft choices are on the rise. 

The Nippon N.S.PRO shaft gives golfers another fitting option for their putters. If you can find the best shaft weight for your stroke, you are one step closer to making more putts.

Unless your putting stroke is really bad, then you probably should take some putting lessons.

Find out more about the Nippon N.S.PRO putter shaft at: nipponshaft.com

FAQ: Nippon N.S.PRO Putter Shaft

Will reshafting affect the value of the putter?

Hey, Resale Value Guy! I didn’t expect to see you here today. So you are worried that changing the shaft will affect the value of your putter? I do not see a situation where adding an aftermarket shaft decreases the value of your putter unless the buyer is looking for stock components.

Really though, the N.S.PRO putter shaft is something you add to your gamer. This is not for bling, it’s for making more putts. I would say that making more putts adds significantly to the value of your putter and that crypto is better than putters for making money.

Will this Nippon N.S.PRO putter shaft make everyone putt better?

Of course! Golf is all about having one thing fix everything for everyone. Kidding aside, I can see how making the switch to this shaft could be an answer for golfers who struggle with putting tempo. The extra weight makes the putter feel very stable and, to me, a stable putting stroke is a repeatable putting stroke. If you can add consistency to any part of your golf game you should see improvements in your score.

Unless, of course, you start hitting the ball consistently right off the tee …

Can’t I just add lead tape to do the same thing?

Probably not. Unlike adding lead tape to a club head to change the swing weight, the N.S.PRO shaft changes the overall weight of the putter more than the swing weight. Lead tape won’t work as a DIY solution but maybe you can try sand. See the question below.

Does adding sand to the shaft accomplish the same thing as installing a heavier shaft?

For those of you unfamiliar with sanding a shaft, like I was, it’s really simple. Pull the grip, add sand, pack the sand in tight and re-grip the putter. Obviously, you’ll want to make sure the putter butt is well-sealed lest your bag become a coastal ecosystem.

Like I said, this was new to me but it makes sense. Given the choice between a heavier metal shaft and a shaft that could leak sand, I would go with the former. That said, maybe filling your current gamer with sand will help you decide if switching to the N.S.PRO is the right choice for you.

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